Chapter II: Summer's End
by Squirrel Patronus
Summary: Lily and Severus share a moment the night before leaving for Hogwarts. Wendy and James receive some advice from their fathers. Wendy, Waldimar and Murk are my characters; others belong to J.K. Rowling.


Severus sat on the rusty swing, pushing the dirt on the ground back and forth with his toes. He stared intently at the gate to the playground. The gate door had fallen off of its hinge, making the playground more accessible to rats, stray cats and vagrants. Maybe this wasn't the best meeting place.

He pushed that thought out of his mind. Of course it was the best meeting place. It was their place. He had first found the courage to speak to Lily here, after weeks of watching her from afar. The image of her flying off of the swing, red hair trailing behind her, then momentarily hovering like a little hummingbird before she gently alit on the ground was seared into his brain. Severus replayed that image over and over again in his mind without tiring of it. He would never be tired of reliving that moment, even if he lived to be over one hundred.

Lily was the first magical child he had ever met, not counting his brief and awful encounter with the Nott sisters. Before that he had wondered if he was indeed the only magical child in England, the last of his kind. Rationally he knew that this was not true. His mother had told him that there were plenty of magical children, just no one who lived in his city. His mother was magical like him. His father and the neighbors were not. The neighbors referred to his mother as the witch. If they had only known the truth!

He heard Lily's soft footsteps approaching before he saw her. She emerged from behind a great bush, the same bush that he had hidden behind when he watched her on the swings. She was wearing a t-shirt with a large flower appliqué. The green leaves of the flower matched her green eyes. She sat down on the swing next to him.

"I'm sorry that I'm late, Sev. There was a lot of activity in the house with all of the packing and arrangements. Mum and Dad are so nervous and excited!"

"How about you?"

"Well, you already know how I feel!" Lily smiled widely at him. Her teeth were beautiful, straight and white. Severus smiled back. He didn't smile much because he didn't have much to smile about. Also, he was aware that his teeth were crooked, discolored and unsightly. Lily and his mother were the only people who could make him smile and not feel self-conscious. Lately it was only Lily who made him smile.

"How's Petunia handling everything?" He asked. Lily's smile faded.

"She still hasn't said a word to me, except to call me a freak. Oh, Severus, it was such a mistake showing you that letter! She will never forgive me!"

Petunia was Lily's older sister. She was a thin, blonde girl to whom Severus had taken an instant disliking. The feeling was mutual. Petunia was a judgmental girl who was not shy about expressing her disdain for him. Severus knew that she was jealous. He had seen firsthand the jealousy and rage that his mother's (and lately his own) magical abilities provoked in his father. His views were confirmed last week when Lily took him into Petunia's room to show him the letter that she had received from Hogwarts.

The house was empty. Lily's father was at work and her mother had taken Petunia to ballet lessons. The two children padded quietly up the carpeted stairs to Petunia's bedroom.

"Petunia received the letter last week," Lily said. "She was so excitedshe thought that she was going to Hogwarts, too! She cried when she read it and wouldn't let any of us see it. I found it inside her pillowcase."

The two children crept into Petunia's room. Severus' first impression of Petunia's room was of an explosion in a bubblegum factory. Various shades of pink assaulted his eyes. Frilly pink curtains framed the windows. The wallpaper motif was dainty pink flowers entwined with pink ribbons. Lily jumped up onto the neatly made pink bed and knocked a crocheted pink poodle with rhinestone eyes off of the pillow. She slipped her hand inside and pulled out a stiff velum envelope.

"Let's read it quickly. I don't want her to find out!" Severus took the letter from her and began to read.

Dear Miss Evans:

Thank you for your very kind letter. It is always refreshing to see a letter from a young person who has such beautiful penmanship and knows her grammar! It was certainly better written than the various complaints that I receive from parents and disgruntled board members.

Petunia dear, I understand how much you would like to attend Hogwarts. Unfortunately, there is nothing that I can do to procure you a place. Hogwarts is a magical school, which only people with magical abilities can attend. Do not consider yourself unworthy, or less of a person than your sister. Magical or not, we are all capable of great things. Bloom where you are planted!

I wish you the very best in whatever path you choose to pursue.

Very truly yours, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster

"She received a letter from Dumbledore!" Severus exclaimed. "My letter was signed by the Deputy Headmistress!"

"What are you doing in my room?" Severus and Lily looked up to see Petunia standing in the doorway. She was still wearing her leotard from dancing class and was holding her ballet slippers in her hand. Her blonde hair was brushed back into a tight bun, emphasizing her narrow face and elongated neck. Her eyes flew to the letter in Severus' hands.

"How dare you touch my things! How dare you sit on my clean bed! Filthy little sneak!" Petunia threw a toe shoe at Severus. He ducked and it hit Lily in the face.

"Tuney, we're sorry!" Lily cried.

"Get out of my room, you freaks! Now!" Petunia screamed. Severus and Lily raced for the door and tore down the stairs as if followed by a trail of flames.

"We never should have done that, Sev," Lily said quietly as she stared up at the twilight sky. It was getting darker and the faint constellations of Leo and Ursa Major were becoming visible.

"Oh, the hell with your sister!" Severus said gruffly. "You apologized and admitted that you were wrong! How long can she hold a grudge?"

"You have no idea, Sev. She can hold grudges for a very long time."

"I have a very good idea." That was one thing that Severus had in common with Petunia. His grudges against people were deeply ingrained and permanent.

He did not want to think of Petunia the night before he left. He gave Lily's hand a squeeze. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling green.

"Tell me about Slytherin House," she said. "That was your mother's House, wasn't it?"

Severus smiled. "My mother told me that those who are sorted into Slytherin are destined for greatness. Salazar Slytherin was one of the greatest wizards of his time. His most famous pupil was Merlin-the greatest wizard of all time!"

He looked at Lily. She was staring at him, drinking in every word that he said. Severus told her all that he knew about Merlin and Slytherin. Tomorrow they would both leave their dull, filthy hometown and start their new lives at Hogwarts. Tomorrow would be the beginning of a wonderful new life for both of them. He was sure that they were both destined for greatness.

"Better be...Slytherin!"

Those were the words that the Sorting Hat called out when Wendy's father, mother and sister had been sorted at Hogwarts. Those would probably be the words that the Hat called out tomorrow when she was sorted at Hogwarts.

She had just left the Prewetts' house, where she had said good-bye and received good wishes for her first year at Hogwarts. Mrs. Prewitt was her mother's friend and the family had always been warm and welcoming to her and her sister.

Wendy loved the Prewetts. Their house was smaller and much more cluttered than the big house where she lived, but it was also cozier and more inviting. Mrs. Prewett called Wendy and her sister Winifred "My other two daughters." Her only daughter, Molly, was going into her seventh and last year at Hogwarts. Her twin sons, Gideon and Fabian had moved out of the house two years ago, but often returned for visits.

"They come back for hot meals and to have their laundry done!" Mr. Prewett would say good-naturedly. He was a big, broad-shouldered man like his sons who was always smiling. Every Christmas he would dress as Santa and hand out presents to the children. The presents were simple hand-made affairs, but Wendy treasured them. He listened to Wendy appreciatively when she told him about the books that she had read or asked questions about his job as a breeder of magical farm animals. It had not taken Wendy long to realize that Mr. Prewett acted the way a father should act.

Wendy frowned. Murk the house elf had hung the flag with the Nott coat-of-arms over the doorway that afternoon. That meant that her father was expected home that evening. He would summon her to the library for The Talk.

"Just nod and agree with everything he says," her older sister Winifred told her. "Don't speak unless spoken to and don't ask any questions! For the sake of Merlin, don't disagree with him!"

"Nothing that I don't know already," Wendy murmured.

Wendy entered quietly through the kitchen door, hoping to go by unnoticed. Luck was not with her. Murk was standing on a stool by a large table, adding the last preparations to the evening meal.

"You are late. Mistress and young Miss are upstairs waiting for you in the dining room." His large bulging eyes reminded her of the round glass phials of flobberworm mucous that her mother kept in the potions cabinet.

"Is Father with them?" Wendy asked.

"Master will be dining alone tonight. He wishes to see you in his study at seven." The elf returned to his food preparation. Wendy walked upstairs, feeling somewhat relieved. At least her father would not be dining with them.

That feeling of relief dissipated long before she knocked on the door of her father's study at seven.

"Enter."

Wendy walked into the study and quietly closed the door behind her. Waldimar was seated at his desk, writing. He did not look up at her. Wendy stood quietly in front of the desk, her hands clasped in front. He had not instructed her to sit, so she did not.

Waldimar continued to write. Wendy could not read upside down, so she did not know what he was writing. His script was elegant and beautiful. That was one trait that she had inherited from himbeautiful penmanship. That and brown eyes. She prayed that was all.

Her father continued to write as if she were not there. His study was dim, lit only by the green glass lamp on his desk. There was no rug on the floor. Behind his desk was a bookshelf that contained books that were not in the library. Waldimar kept the study locked, so Wendy had no idea what type of books they were. The only other object on the desk aside from the papers and inkwell was a human skull. For as long as she could remember Wendy had been equally terrified and fascinated by it. How old was it? Whose was it? How had her father acquired it? What did it mean to him? Why was it in his study? She didn't dare ask.

Waldimar stopped writing and looked up at her.

"Sit."

Wendy sat in one of the high-backed wooden chairs that faced the desk. She kept her face neutral and impassive, or that was what she hoped to do. Her heart was pounding so hard she was convinced that her father could hear it.

"You will be going to Hogwarts tomorrow and starting your formal education."

"Yes, Sir."

"You will be sorted. Do you know the importance of being sorted into Slytherin?"

"Yes, Sir. All of the Notts are sorted into Slytherin. It is the greatest House."

"What makes it great?"

"Those who are sorted into Slytherin are destined for greatness. It is the House of Merlin, who was the greatest of all wizards."

"Yes?" Waldimar's dark eyes stared at her, expressionless. Wendy's stomach trembled. What had she missed?

"It is the only House which values the importance of blood purity! Or at least it was at one time!" he said coldly.

"The once noble House of Salazar Slytherin has been diluted by tainted blood. When I was a student there were only a few half-blooded students in Slytherin. Now I understand that the half-bloods almost equal the pure bloods in number. A few years ago a Mudblood was sorted there!" When Waldimar was angry his voice became lower. It was almost a whisper.

"Of course your mother and sister would not tell you these things. They do not understand the import of them. You are a pure-blood. You have a duty and obligation to maintain that status."

"I will not dishonor the family, Sir." Wendy replied in a small voice. Her mouth and throat felt dry.

"You will not dishonor the pureblood race!" Waldimar slammed his palms down onto the desk and stared into her eyes, his face inches from hers. "You will not associate with any Mudblood animals while you are at Hogwarts. Have you ever heard of Eileen Snape?"

Wendy was speechless with shock at the mention of her mother's old school friend.

"She was born into a noble pure-blood family. She was sorted into Slytherin along with your mother. She ruined herself by running off with a filthy Muggle. Her family disowned her. They had no real sense of honor. That could only be preserved by killing her. Better a dead daughter than one living with a lesser beast." He stared at her levelly. Wendy stared back, not daring to breathe. Waldimar sat down and picked up his quill.

"Leave."

Wendy left the room, shutting the door behind her. Her legs wobbled and she quickly sat down in one of the chairs next to the study door. She slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"Better be Slytherin," she whispered.

"Tell me the story about the Four Founders of Hogwarts, Dad!" James said as his father entered his bedroom. His trunk was packed and rested near the door. Gulliver the barn owl hooted softly in his cage beneath a poster of Puddlemere United.

"You've heard that story hundreds of times, James!" The old man smiled. "Why don't you tell it to me?"

"No, Dad, you tell it the best! Also, this is the last time that I will hear it before I go to Hogwarts!" James bounced on his bed. He was a skinny boy with unruly dark hair and an infectious grin. His father laughed and sat down at the foot of the bed. He smoothed out the comforter, which was emblazoned with golden snitches and the Puddlemere United symbol.

"Long ago, there were two men and two women who were the greatest witches and wizards in the United Kingdom. Although of course it wasn't called the U.K. then. Anyway, they would take in young girls and boys of magical ability as apprentices and teach them all that they knew. The two men were the best of friends, as were the two women. They would share their knowledge with each other. However it was a dark time for witches and wizards. Muggles were afraid and suspicious of magic and persecuted magical folk out of fear and ignorance. The Four Founders wanted to teach their students in a safe environment, far away from prying muggle eyes. So really it was only a matter of time before they collectively thought of a truly wonderful idea"

"To build a school where they could all teach together!" James cried happily. "Hogwarts!"

"Yes, Hogwarts," Mr. Potter said smiling. "Each wizard and each witch added their own special touch. The ladies go first. Rowena Ravenclaw was beautiful and wise. She came from the Scottish highlands and prized intellect and creativity above all qualities in her students. The Ravenclaws are a sharp bunch. A bit odd, some of them, but true genius is never average or ordinary."

"That was Uncle Llewellyn's House!" James exclaimed. Llewellyn was his godfather.

"Yes," Mr. Potter continued. "Then there was Helga Hufflepuff. She was a sweet-natured Welsh woman who loved cooking and the pleasures of hearth and home. She valued fairness, hard-work and loyalty. The students in her House are fair-minded and for the most part, kind. You will have a lot of loyal Hufflepuff friends. Most people at Hogwarts have at least one. Even the Slytherins."

"Boo, Slytherin!" James made a hissing noise and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"That's right!" Mr. Potter said darkly. "Salazar Slytherin was a crafty old devil, from the murky fens in the northeast. He only picked students who were pure-bloods. He spread the belief among some of the more impressionable members of the magical community that only pure-bloods could be true witches and wizards. He liked students who were cunning and ambitious, but most of them were sneaky and under-handed. The greatness of the witches and wizards from that house was often achieved at the pain and expense of others. More dark wizards and witches come from Slytherin than any other House."

"I hate Slytherin!" James declared. "I would get back on the train and leave if I was sorted into that House!"

"That won't happen," Mr. Potter said.

"What? Being sorted into Slytherin or returning home on the train?"

"Both. I may not know everything, but I know that you are not Slytherin material. Of course there is one Founder whom I have left out," Mr. Potter said, his hazel eyes twinkling. "The one who hailed from these western moors! The one for whom our town is named!"

"Godric Gryffindor!" James jumped up on his bed and pulled an imaginary sword from an imaginary sheath.

"The noble and brave Godric Gryffindor!" Mr. Potter exclaimed. "Chivalrous and virtuous! He valued students who were daring and brave and never afraid to stand up for what was righteven when it was unpopular. He hated the Dark Arts. He believed that blood purity had nothing to do with magical ability. He and Salazar Slytherin argued bitterly about that point. That old snake Slytherin only wanted pure-bloods at Hogwarts. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff both thought that all students of magical ability should be admitted and they were able to convince Ravenclaw as well. Of course that did not sit well with Slytherin. He only wanted to teach pure-bloods. Gryffindor came up with the idea of the Sorting Hat so that the students would be as equally divided as possible among the Four Houses. That still wasn't good enough for Slytherin. Things became so heated and divisive among the Founders that eventually Slytherin left Hogwarts for good."

"He put a curse on the school," James said, his eyes wide.

"Now that is not a certain fact," Mr. Potter said. "I never put much stock in that old tale about curses. Just be wary of Slytherins. They are not to be trusted. We used to have an old saying in Gryffindor: 'Lions devour serpents.' Come to think of it, so do badgers and eagles!" He and his son both laughed loudly.

"What a commotion in here!" A slender grey-haired woman stood in the doorway of James' bedroom. She smiled warmly at her husband and son.

"Henry, James will never go to sleep if you keep talking about Hogwarts! Don't fill his head with all of those pre-conceived notions! Let him experience it for himself!"

"Your mother is right! Your experience at Hogwarts will be different from mine, hers and anyone else's!" Mr. Potter winked at his son.

"They will be the best years of your life, darling!" Mrs. Potter unsuccessfully tried to smooth James' hair and kissed his forehead. "Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be long and exciting!"

"Goodnight son. Sleep well-it will be your last night here in your room until Christmas!" Mr. Potter put his arm around his wife's shoulders and left James' room.

James fed a piece of biscuit to Gulliver and lay down on his bed. He stared at the stars outside of his window. His mother had told him the names of all of the constellations. He saw Leo the lion, bright in the sky.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave of heart!" he murmured happily. He turned on his side and fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.


End file.
